Head's Down Git's Up Part 3
Log Info
- Title: Head's Down Git's Up Part 3
- Emitter: Jinks
- Characters: Jay, Jozi, Slixvah, Nemori
- Place: Alexandros Wilderness: Crashed Kulthian Airship.
- Time: Monday, October 10, 2022, 7:07 PM
- Summary: With the monstrosities dispatched the adventurers are free to explore the lower section. There are two seeming exits, one is a mirroed tube with gearing that appears to have been destroyed from within, the other is a bas relief, showing artificers walking on the gods. Pushing in their eyes opens what appears to be the captain's cabin. It's crushed and half full of rubble. Searching uncovers some clothes, a box, a tube, a skull, several crystals that fit in the skull, and a gem. Git is convinced that Heady is in the box, and with no way to progress, the adventurers decide to return to Alexandria to do some research while Aehrick makes repairs to his Torsoplugometer.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Jay 5'9" 145 Lb Eaglefolk Male A perky male Blue Jay with a discerning eye. Jozi 5'8" 148 Lb Half-Orc Female A brunette half-orcess with a sunny disposition. Nemori 4'10" 110 Lb Mul'niessa Female A tall and slender, dark skinned elf. Slixvah 5'8" 130 Lb Eaglefolk Female A rust red/white Egalrin covered in veils, ribbons, and shawls. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gitlweet 'Git' Goblin Male One of Mama Bula's kids, a necromancer in training (NIT). Aehrick Oddskeeper Khazadi Male Artificer and Airship Engineer. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Jinks 3'4" 39 Lb Gnome Male A gnomish fellow in fancy garb and jewelry. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
A moment to catch their breath doesn't sound unreasonable after dealing with the assorted horrors of the Kulthian craft and its artifice-afflicted corpses; it's not going anywhere.
Git has already taken similar initiative, stepping around one of the curve walls demarcating the moving-platform's shaft and out of sight. He's kept his own counsel while the others inspected the decorative wall, enjoying the dark away from the magical lights. The wounds he received were grievous and he's likely shaken, still, even after the healing magics knight his flesh.
Khazadi cursing echoes down from above punctuated by reverberated clatter. Sounds of frustration, surely, and not alarm or entreaty.
Stale ozone and scents of a crypt are thick in the stagnant, subterranean air. Nothing moves.
"You okay? Okay? Okay?" Jay asks everyone, resting a hand on a shoulder and adjusting his belt before moving to the next person. He caws loudly into the dark, "Hey Git, you okay?"
He's breathing quickly, his tail switching and his head whips around. He's looking for movement where it shouldn't be, even though the abominable creations have been put down.
"Aehrick, you okay UP THERE? We're going to look around a bit more." He warns, scratching at one of the bodies with his toe-talons. "All the books talk about how horrible the Kulthian artifice was, but in such a way it sounds like you'll never see it, or at least, not see it soon after reading the book."
"It's... odd, all the 'you might never see' cautions... and... this." More clawing at the drills.
Slixvah takes a moment herself, her taking a shuddering breath as she makes her way around, seeing what's in store in this place. "... I mean... yeah. Got some bad stuff and good stuff. Like with all things," she opines to Jay before nodding, her holding her lit dagger up to see better. "Yeah, I'm. Ya'll good?"
Nemori grips the hilt of her rapier tightly as she puts another against the wall, taking the moment to compose herself while the others begin their careful examination of the room... of ensuring none of the other hybrid machine-corpse bodies are likely to rise. She can't help but glower at Git; he is the one who started all of this, after all. But she finds herself having little stomach to antagonize the diminutive apostate just now, so she turns away and starts poking about as well.
"I'm alright, sugar, an you?" is Jozi's return as Jay gets to her along his rounds, her voice mostly steady, her own eyes flicking to the twitch of his his tail. Her hand ligntly claps his shoulder for a moment and she gives him a little smile, a soothing warmth subtly different from her usual healing efforts.
As he moves on, "How's everybody else doin? Any wierd feelins after all that?"
GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness: aliased to perception+2: (8)+11+2: 21 GAME: Slixvah rolls spellcraft: (14)+13: 27 GAME: Jay rolls perception+6: (12)+15+6: 33
The round pipe is an exceptionally elaborate and oversized cousin to the sewer drains on the low walls of Alexandria. The inside lip is decorate with individual plates decorated with runic carvings, set stones, and threaded, thin metallic wiring across its entire circumference.
Beyond the lip, the recess is less than a foot and terminates in a shattered, silver-backed mirror. The outer edges are decorated in a spiraling, wavelike pattern interrupted and ruined by the loose of pieces that've fallen to the floor and shattered further.
At Jozi's touch, the tension leaves the bluejay egalrin. He exhales, his feathers are less fluffed, his hands hang free in the air while he contemplates the bas relief of the gods. His head turns, he examines something with one, then the other.
Then he laughs, "Ha! There's a switch there, on that God, see? It has three eyes. I think if they're pressed simultaneously it will open the door." He huffs, "I guess the Kulthians got a kick out of poking the god's eyes."
"I'm okay, I don't feel weird."
"... torsooplugometer's dead," Aehrick calls down behind a heavy sigh. He's leaning almost horizontally over the circular hole in the ground, braced by a quartet of shining mithral spider's legs. His face is soot-stained and his beard smoulders. "I'll get rope dropped to get you out... but I need to get back to the drawing board'n figure a permanent solution..!"
Git looks around, his narrow shoulders pushed forward as he holds onto his staff with both hands. He doesn't pay much mind to folks but just glares at the ruined undead scattered across the floor. When Slixvah walks past to inspect the circular construction he shuffles ahead and stands next to her. Maybe a little closer to her legs than is generally acceptable when respecting one's personal space.
Slixvah casts a glance to the others as they give their status report, gaze lingering on Nemori. She gives her a thumbs up before stepping past Git, her looking about the things on the wall. She tilts her head to the side. "... huh. This... used to power a Gate. Captial G. But it's totes broke beyond workin'. Got some... messed up mirror here," she gestures to fractured plates and half melted mirror. "Thankfully ain't nothin' something through."
She looks back, up, then back to the others again. "Well, push come ta shove, I can try and fly us out."
She looks down to Git, her eyes giving a little smile as she pats him on the shoulder.
Slixvah chirps, "Oh? There is, Tegri? Need a hand again?"
Jozi closes her eyes a moment, steadying her own breathing and taking a sort of mental stock of her remaining esoteric resources, then turns to regard the... interactive effigy for a moment, a couple of questions starting to percolate, though she has her attention drawn by the others, "Any idea where that Gate might have linked to, sugar?"
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+11: (10)+11: 21
"I might... if we decide to open it." Integrity says, looking over the carvings, "I want to check that large pipe before we do."
"Okay Aehrick, thanks! We'll need the rope soon." He coughs, "after we fiddle with a few things."
Git looks back at Jozi after very carefully (and very slowly) inching his way towards the inert contraption. He'd stopped and probed with the staff, making sure the thing didn't spring to life and swallow him whole. The shattered glass crunches under his boots and he backs out from the hoop just as timidly.
"Could've grabbed things. Or... or gone anywhere." He dusts at a blackened metal plate that's warped out with a jagged tear at its center-- only to yawp and jump back against Slixvah when it comes loose and clatters to the ground.
Slixvah shrugs. "Dunno. Probably back ta home base or somethin'," she infers. "If this is a prison, or a holding cell, it prolly lets 'em get..." she trails off, looking to the bodies. "... fresh power. Yeah. Gross."
She ambles back towards the main group, her doing casual flips of her dagger, making the soft white light dance around in the space. She flinches from the clatter and stumbles a bit, but she chuckles and steadies the gobbo with a hand. "Things are fine, honey." <Goblin-talk>
GAME: Jozi rolls sense motive: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
Jozi hmmmm's softly, but isn't committed to a course of action, yet. She nods to SLix at her response, "That makes some kinda sense I guess."
The half-orc jumps a smidge as the plate clangs to the floor and she lets her breath out, "Shame this heap didn't get scuttled sooner."
GAME: Jay rolls perception+6: (16)+15+6: 37 GAME: Jay rolls craft/artifice: (10)+8: 18
Crossing the room, Integrity takes a look at the ruined pipe. He leans one way, the other, crouches and looks up. He examines the near walls.
"So, this gate wasn't damaged by an exterior force. It was some sort of power surge, allegedly. The capacitors on the walls have exploded. The plates are burned, warped and flexed outwards, here, and here." He indicates some of the damage, "the mirror is standard design, silver-backed, larger than usual."
"It could be repaired... need a blacksmith... and artificer, maybe an engineer." Jay glances at Git.
"The first question we should ask... is are we truly interested in repairing that gate?" Nemori asks, looking up from poking at one of the 'nonfunctional' bodies. "Can you tell if the damage is recent, or old?"
"..." Git frowns waiting for Nemori to stop talking, his face scrunching up as he tries to make sense of things. "Why? Is... is Heady in there?" He glaances from Jay up to Slixvah, then back to Jozi. His narrow shoulders set as he makes a conscious decision not to look the mul'niessa's way.
"Mama Bula can pay... She can pay if we need to. She was going to resurrect Heady but they said they needed his... mm-body." A tremor creeps into the gobber's voice and he stops to take a shaky breath. "We had his b-- his body... but they said that -wasn't-.
"What about the other door?!" He remembers the last bit and narrows his eyes at Jay, ignoring his wet cheeks for now. "Did you open the door?"
Slixvah gives a light nod towards Nemori. ".. yeah, I agree. I don' think repairing a literal captial G Gate is a good idea. Who the heck knows what'll spill out. 'sides, we got mo' important things ta find, like Heady's self."
She looks down to Git, a little sigh leaves her, and she turns towards Jay. "I'm inclined to agree. We should press while we can."
Jay reaches out and flicks a surface with the back of his hand. His feathers don't smulder, it isn't unbearable to touch. "It's not hot, it's not smoking. It looks a little rusted... I think it's older. It wasn't something we caused in the last week."
Thankfully.
"I don't know, Git. I think it might be like a magnet, and he was one pole and pulled towards another one." He answers the gobbo, "I haven't opened the door, not without warning anyone."
His head turns, Slix, Git, the gate. He stares at the gate. His hand drops to the hilt of his rapier. He nods, "We should open it."
Jozi frowns a little, turning back toward Git as he asks about his friend. She's seen a couple of ressurections, though she doesn't have any real in-depth knowledge on the particulars. A nod, then, "Alright..."
She readies her hammer and steps up toward the potential breach, "Ready when y'all are."
GAME: Slixvah casts Guidance. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
The "north" bit is an apparatus for a gate. The "south" bit is like a submarine door in the middle of the bas-relief carving. There's a switch for the south door that just needs to be pressed, hidden in the carving.
The "north" gate is FUBAR and would require rebuilding and repair.
Nemori gives a slow nod. "I merely wished to rule out Heady's... soul?.. being drawn through the gate. If it had been broken before our interference, then it would seem unlikely." She looks to Jay. "So it is to be the door, then."
The switch is pressed, sticking and resisting until some real effort forces the "eyes" down into their depressions. A heavy, deep clack announces the release and the wheel on the metal door spins seemingly of its own accord. Loosed chain spins in rapid, rattling report as an unseen lever arm raises to loose its revolution.
Pungent smells of alchemical oils wash out towards you even as the enchanted lights flood the room beyond. The room beyond is another made of metal but smaller and half full of stone and earth where a section of the ceiling is torn, ruined, and collapsed downward to allow the natural world ingress. The rocks are streaked with reflective fluids and tangled with crushed piping, torn hoses and tubes, and crumpled plating. Beyond the rubble are large glass windows, dark, cracked, and dusty.
The dirty, overturned, and chaotic tangle of furniture marks this as a cabin-- though a cabin half-buried beneath soil and stone. The crushed desk is almost entirely obscured by the rubble, along with a toppled chair. There's a bed box bolted to the wall with the mattress and bedding flung to the ground beside an armoire fallen flat.
Expensive looking bowls and pots for ablutions and practical needs are spilled about haphazzardly. They mingle on the cabin floor with other, more arcane objects that have seeming fallen from the railed shelving built into the walls.
"Ah." Jay stares, at everything, multiple points in the room. "I guess... ah... we should search what isn't crushed and buried."
He glances at the pile of rubble. Someone might be under that.
"Armoire? Desk?" The egalrin steps into the room, "I heard there are monsters that look like furniture. Wouldn't that be funny to find?" Especially after machines that look like people.
Jozi is ready to fight if the situation demands it, though, with the door's less eventful opening, she lowrs her weapons with a brief shrug. She surveys the apparant damage in the room beyond, letting out a slow, soft whistle, then wonders, "Think this puppy was at speed when it come down?"
Stepping forward, she looks back to Jay, "I heard of those, never seen one, though."
Slixvah covers her nose holes. "Bleh, whys everthing gotta smell rough," she complains, peering past Jay into the room. "Probably not, Jozi. If was at speed, there probably would be less of it in one piece, and the hallways would be bent ta heck."
She stares. "... please no. No weird furniture. Let's get in and find our wispy friend."
Nemori doesn't make any move to enter, or follow anyone who does. Contrary to her feelings on personally entering the destroyed cabin, however, she notes, "Having no idea what drew Heady inside in the first place.. it may very well be something in this room. A powerful trinket, an entrapment incantation.. it is better to avoid leaving it unsearched."
"... leaveyouunsearch," Git mutters as he pushes past folk and into the room. He stands at the middle and looks around and then looks at Jay. "What should I do?"
GAME: Slixvah rolls alertness+2: aliased to perception+2+2: (13)+11+2+2: 28 GAME: Jozi rolls perception: (8)+9: 17 (Aid Another Slixvah)
Slixvah steps in with the others. "I agree. Let's toss it over," she hums, her feathers unrolling behind her and flowing in her wake. "Help me with this, sugar?" she inquires of Jozi.
Feathers of unnatural strength begin picking through the desk and the rubble.
<OOC> Jinks says, "So Git can help Jay." GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20: (10): 10 (Aid Another Jay)
"Help me with the Armoire." The bluejay hops towards it, crouching and attempting to lift it up. He isn't immediately successful, and looks for some wood and a rock to effect a lever. "I'll get it high enough you should be able to get the doors open and drawers open, and then we'll support it."
GAME: Jay rolls perception+6+2: (6)+15+6+2: 29 (+6 Urban Terrain Mastery, +2 Git assisting)
Jozi slips her hammer back into it's frogs and moves to help Slix with sorting out the mess around the desk, "Sure thing, sugar!"
She does what she can to be mindful of her claws as she turns her oruch-muscles toward supporting the feathers at work.
"Interesting trick!" she notes with a grin.
Ultimately, she comes away from their labors dusting off a golden ash- wait, no, no....
That's a skull.
Well, a good portion of one, anyay. Golden, with a round grate where the lower jaw should have been, with the empty setting for a stone near the 'ear' area.
"This here could be important, ya'll. Whatcha think?"
Egalrin aren't know for their muscle-bound density and feats of strength. They're strong fliers, but that's a different kind of strength. The black, white and blue bird grunts and struggles as he gets the armoire up off the ground.
Git lends a hand, closer to the other end, lifting with the frenetic energy of goblins. Together they raise it, and he's able to search. He rummages the lower section, Jay the upper.
Integrity finds a carved scrimshaw and platinum tube. He turns it over in his dark-feathered hands. "It's got a cap, looks like it will open but there's an artifice lock secring it. The carvings... depict a robed artificer with his hands cupped beneath a platinum disc. It's a devotional candle decoration, allegedly."
He peers at the skull, "I think that's the guy! The pilot, whomever this room belonged to. Allegedly."
Slixvah chuckles. "Thanks, hon," she coos, another set of feathers wrapping around a large, heavy section of the desk and lifting it away with nary a problem.
Once she gets done rooting around, she comes away with a decorative, felt-lined case that's been damaged. She cracks it open, her finding three stones gilded in gold filigree inside. Some more rooting around, and she finds three more, the rest are smashed and gone away. She places them into the case then wafts a hand over them, muttering an incantation over the little pinpricks of light in them. "Hrm." She pulls her hand back. "Might be little lights for something. Or little powered things. Or just.. jewelry."
She looks to the skull. Blinks. Then to Integrity with a tilt of the head before back to the skull. "... maybe these stones go in the side of the skull?" she suggests, shrugging.
Nemori tarries just long enough to be sure that anything that was going to ambush anyone would have done so by now.. and that the most prominent traps would have been spotted or set off. Then she follows into the room to lend her own eyes to the task. Observing what the others uncover. "They do seem suspiciously like keys.. in keeping to the theme of the rest of these doors. "
Git doesn't stop searching once Jay has come away with the scroll case-like, decorative tube. The gobber continues to rifle through the musty clothes and toss them away, creating a small pile against the bed. Robes, shirts, pants, small clothes, and even a spare pair of boots get tossed aside.
The apostate wizard is panting for the effort, sitting roughly and wiping his forehead with his torn cloak. He blinks at Jay, Jozi, Slixvah, and their findings. The gobber then looks down at the oversized, long glove he'd donned as a lark. It has dark red stitching and looked impressive even if the fingers are too long.
Turning on his rump, he lies down and pulls his head underneath the bed to rifle around below.
Jay examines the unearthed arcane clothing, "Anyone recognize any of that? In colours or patterns. Is it banned-god stuff?"
He watches Git vanish under the bed, "you okay under there?"
GAME: Nemori rolls perception: (20)+10: 30 <OOC> Jinks says, "Kn.Local if you want to identify the clothing style, Jay!" GAME: Jay rolls knowledge/local: (1)+11: 12 (EPIC FAIL) <OOC> Jinks says, "These styles are LOST TO THE AGES." GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/local: (7)+6: 13
Jay picks up various pieces of clothing, stares at them, sets them down again, "I don't recognize a thing."
Nemori makes her way over to the shelves, carefully picking her path through the fallen alchemical and arcane sundries, to see if there are any more collections of stones like the ones Slixvah found. She runs her fingers along inside the rails, as if to feel for any objects that might be obscured... then pauses, with a frown. She moves her hand back, then grips the rail to pull herself up a little and bring her face close.
Careful fingers then reach in, one of her nails finding purchas in a crack... and then she pushes aside what looks like a sliding panel hiding a small recess. Which contains a gilded, darkwood box. Which she pulls out, of course.
Settling back down onto the flats of her boots, Nemori turns the box over in her hand, revealing a large aquamarine set into the lid with a small plaque beneath. She extends it towards Slixvah. "I cannot read this." And she doesn't want to open it.
GAME: Jinks rolls 1d20+11: (18)+11: 29
Slix glances over towards Integrity, her giving a shrug. "I dunno, boo. Ain't my style."
She watches Nemori search for a beat, her bobbing her head and reaching out to touch the plaque so her ongoing spell can decipher it. "Let's see... it says..."
Jozi purses her lips a moment and regards her Hamletian heirloom before almost dainty dusting it off and setting it upon the desk.
"Kinda fetchin ensemble, sugar." she remarks wryly as the wardrobe gets raided, then glances at her find again, "Kulthies were three gallons of bent in a one quart bucket, wan't they?"
"... it's Myrrish," mumbles the gobber from beneath the bed. He crawls out from under with a squat, wide porcelain pot that's been chipped in the hubbub. He considers it and looks inside before gagging and kicking it away across the floor. Once he's done coughing he continues.
"... Myrrish noble's clothes that old people wear. There was a professor who wore them at the school and he was... SO OLD. Like," he bobs his head side-to-side, "fifty, I... guess..." he trails off, looking between Nemori and Slixvah and the box.
Slixvah says, "First son. It says: 'First Son'"
After ensuring the armouroire will stay upright, Jay moves to examine the skull and it's odd features. "Yes, that's old. Allegedly."
"I wonder if these are different lenses for the eye. Or, power, like you suggested."
He glances at Nemori, "What's the box?"
"Oh, wait, no. Those go in the ear." Jay says, "one at a time."
Nemori's eyes narrow a little bit and her expression goes a little bit flat when Slixvah performs her interpretation.... without, notably, taking the box. She holds it out for a second longer, then growls to herself, nearly inaudibly, as she pulls the box back. Fine. Thin but no longer delicate fingers take to the lid, then crack the box open.
The box has a fancy locking mechanism and doesn't open. It looks a bit like the one on Jay's tube.
Slixavh shrugs as Nemori. "You're a big girl, you can do it yourself," she coos warmly before she looks at the skull and puts a random glowy tone into the side of it.
GAME: Slixvah rolls 1d6: (2): 2 GAME: Jozi casts Detect Poison. Caster Level: 3 DC: 12
Slixvah lifts one of the gems near to the setting near the 'ear' of the skull. Close enough and there's a subtle tug and a *click* as it settles into place. The circular, metallic grate replacing the lower jaw wheezes into a death rattle. Half-formed voices and sussurations mingle as energies gather.
Shortly, a voice spills from the decorated skull though it shows no signs of life...
Nemori makes another face at Slixvah, then scowls further when the box refuses to open. She grips it, and for all the world looks like she might be about ready to bash it upon one of the rails.. or perhaps the wall. Or perhaps the armoire of invincibility. Then she has another idea. "Integrity," she says, giving the blue feathered egalrin but a moment to register his name before she tosses the box to him. Determined not to be foiled this time.
Slixvah interjects as her glowing hand passes by Nemori. "Uhhh- some necromancy in that box, cuties."
"A child. The answer was so obvious and I feel such a fool. Creativity, plasticity, and moldability; not a blank slate to be commanded through tedious and at-length proclamation. Not rote automa...
The soul... harvested, captured, and planted... To be father and master-absolute...
... seek to capture or replicate the 'Forges? Why waste the genius of artifice to enhance animate corpses? The orchard is vast and the fruit ripe on the vine... it needs only be harvested.
This will be my mark!"
Slix then turns to Integrity. "And ya tube's got a lil' bit of abjuration mojo on it.
"Wha... ah!" The bluejay squawks as the box flies his way. He catches it, turns it over several times, feeling it and even carefully biting it with his beak. Licking artifice is not advised, allegedly.
All of this stops once the skull is set to speak. He clacks his beak a couple times. "Wow, it's a talking tome. His thoughts preserved for the ages."
"Oh cool, thanks. Abdjuration, that's kind of a protection?"
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/geography: (12)+6: 18 GAME: Jay rolls knowledge/geography: (3)+4: 7
Well, 'nacromancy' is Jozi for 'get out yer hammer', apparently, as that is the automatic response the warning prompts from the half-orc.
Blink.
"I've..... never heard of that, before." she notes as she looks to the skull as it starts to issue forth.
Once all the important information is sorted out, she slips the glowing stone into the skull. "Don't throw the box, please. It may explode." The skull plays. Slixvah stares at it.
Her face twists in disgust. "... seems like some kind of recording stones. Might be a journal. Sounds... Myrrish. I... think someone may have found the ship and repurposed it? It's more recent than anything I've heard Robby mumble."
"Yes, abjuration, protection."
"Necroman-- AAH!" The gobber's scream tears through the room and he jumps at Jay, flailing a hand to slap away the egalrin's beak even as he tries to wrap his arm around the box and snatch it away. "Don't bite it! Necromancy!
"He could be in there! Heady could be in there!" As passionate as he is the gobber is not very strong.
"Right. That's a good point. Thanks Git." Jay stops examining the box in a bird-like way. He hands it down to the gobber, "It might contain Heady. Yes. We shouldn't open it until we're around his armour."
"Maybe with some artifice stuff."
He looks around, "We've found a bunch of good things. Do we have any detection spells that will see through the rubble? We might have enough stuff to head back, seek some experts."
GAME: Slixvah casts Identify. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16 GAME: Slixvah rolls spellcraft+10: (19)+13+10: 42 GAME: Slixvah rolls spellcraft+10: (2)+13+10: 25
Git's comment and sudden frantic nature sparks a connection in Slix's brain. "Oh! Good point!" she croons, holding up a hand and wafting through the air. "Nda ouy era...?"
A globule of light flicks from her hand, bounces off the box and takes on a shade of green, then lands in an open hand. Another fires out towards the tube Jay has, and it lands on her other hand, a shade of gold. Both pieces of energy she promptly... shoves into her head.
She stares blankly at nothing. "... y.. huh. Yeah. Uh. Yep. Mhm. Yep. That thingy has a thing that makes soul gems. Proooobably has ya boi in it. Nasty stuff." Attention vaguely shifts towards Jay. "And that thing has a magic lock on it. Gonna be hell ta pick it open."
She shakes her head off. "Probably got hurt near it, thing opened up, made a lil gem of Heady, and snapped closed."
Nemori frowns, a shade disapprovingly, as the box is relinquished to the gobber, but having given up possession on it herself... well, it's probably not the best time to give voice to her misgivings. "Hrmn. Well. This would not be the first time I encountered a head within a box," she admits. "Since it appears we have what we came for.. possibly.. is it time to bother the dwarf for a ropes?"
"If we're sure we ain't got any more rooms ta clear out." Jozi remarks, "Wanna rule out any more... captives, before we pull out."
Gits eyes go wider and wider as Slixvah offers her explanation. He settles down to the ground cross-legged and puts the box in his lap gingerly. The staff was forgotten-- dropped somewhere along the way lunging at Integrity.
The gobber hunches over, inspecting the light-blue crystal as he carefully-- oh-so-carefully-- lowers a few fingers down to stroke it.
"... Heady?" There's a wet sniff and he leans his head to one side, as if searching through the multi-faceted surface. "Heady, it's Git-- Gitlweet. You got lost." He pauses and runs his thumb across the top of the gem. "Hello?"
"It.. he may not be in a state to respond." Integrity speculates, moving to pick up the staff. Once he's down, he lies on the floor to peer under the bed. The ancient chamberpot has been retrieved, perhaps there are 'other' treasures, like a well worn pair of slippers to find, or a sleeping mask.
"I really need to talk to some people." He tells the darkness under the bed, "And it might be that the only solution is to use this place, which will need a proper power-connection. That's going to take Aehrick a few days."
"Praying..." Jay pulls his head out and looks at Nemori, "... the angel wouldn't come back here, but do you think it would hear us otherwise?"
The tube has a lock and with the Arcane Lock spell. It'll be beyond Jay's ability to pick. There are more stones to listen to, and then there's the gem.
Nemori watches Git for a few moments, expression... stiff. Otherwise unreadable. Until Jay grabs her attention. Pale eyes shift to regard the egalrin, and then her expression adopts a 'you are asking me?' shape. "Maybe? If it is specifically listening, perhaps. But to the best of my knowledge, they are agents... that particular one being more of a.. hrn. Border guard, lacking a better description. I do not believe they are wont to pay us much attention. It is likely your prayers would sooner be heard by Eluna herself." A pause. "Unless, of course, specific magics were employed. There are powerful spells which can seek out specific beings."
Slixvah says, "Ah was thinking of taking the skull and stones ta Robby"
"I suspect either, that angel's got a keen ear trained on this place, or they're putting as far outta their mind as creation allows, sugar." Jozi comments softly as she approaches Jay.
She considers Git, the way he tends to the box in his care and she sighs, and she takes a knee beside him, laying the hammer on the deck, but she doesn't have any words at first.
Slixvah's wings ruffle a bit as she watches Git take care of the box and gem. She silent for a beat, her standing next to Jozi. "I think we're in the clear, hon," she intones to her as she picks up the rest of the glowing stones and the skull. She stashes them away to give to Aehrick later. "C'mon, let's quit this place," she beckons, slowly making her way back to the lift. It was getting a bit claustrophobic for her tastes.
"I... don't want Bob to know..." Integrity glances at Slix. "This is kind of... kind off... I think he would be disappointed in me. It's why I got Aehrick involved. It's a contract. It's done when it's done."
Clearly he isn't worried about disappointing Nemori.
Slixvah calls from the next room, "I don't think he would be. But I get ya. He won't know."
"Well, maybe we can try some prayers to Eluna then." Jay suggests, as he takes one last glance around the room to ensure nothing interesting is left behind. He follows the others out to the main area, then caws up, "Aehrick! We are ready to come up. We need ropes. Ropes!"
There's a rope ladder waiting in the central room when you return. Aehrick is perched at the lip again, holding his staff-like death ray low but at the ready. He wearing dark goggles and a rag tied about his nose and mouth.
"Head on up and right out... the hide caught fire and melted the torsoplug'." The finely-crafted spidery legs clatter-cclack as he walks the circuit of the hole above. "I've got a wash basin and fresh water outside. You'll want to wash your face and eyes... you get a good bit of this residue stuck to you and you won't like it..."
The necromancer doesn't respond for the calls to depart immediately, he's still trying to coax his friend out. He keeps having to stop and wipe tears off the gem with his cloak. When Git finally notices people are starting to leave, he looks up and blinks before nodding shallowly.
"Alright, Heady," he sniffs at the gem, "you rest. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you." Carefully, he works his way up to standing and clutches the box to his chest. "But you don't have to be scared... we're going home..."
Git drags his cheeks across his shoulders and falls into step with the rest of the group.
A good face and handwash sounds appealing to Nemori. And perhaps a bath. And a good laundering of her clothes. And perhaps a little bit of a brain scrub. The rope ladder is eyed a little bit dubiously.. but in retrospect, she has to admit climbing it will be a little less awkward than attempting to shimmy back up on a rope.
The shadow elf thinks nothing of taking the first spot out, either, though she at least has the grace to wait around until everyone else has filed back up into the upper chamber. The.. engine.. room?
It's a terrible thing, being held at that demarcation twixt hope and despair.
Jozi looks up to Slix and nods with a sad little smile, then gives it a little while before she finally pushes back to her feet as the group makes to quit the ship of horrors at least.
Git and Kerry Anne both are gonna be riding that dreadful line all the way home, and the half-oruch intends to do what she can to help them in the meantime.
What was it Seifyd used to say....?
"Go up first Git. I'll hand the box to you. Or if you've got it secure in your pack, that's fine." Integrity suggests. He's determined to wait underneath, in case it is dropped, so it will have a feather pillow landing.
"Save some water for me!" A birdbath sounds lovely. Very lovely.
Git looks at Jay and then the ladder. He pushes his lips into a thin line and shakes his head in open defiance. Clutching the box to his chest as tightly as he can, he begins a slow and awkward ascent with two feet, a hand, and his teeth. It slows up the whole process but he makes it the entire twenty-five feet without issue, with Aehrick helping him up to stand at the top.
Standing, the necromancer holds the box to his chest with both arms and hustles outside with his head down, returning to a one-armed death grip as he washes his face and eyes as instructed.
Aehrick waits at the lip to help each individual as they near the top, seeming untroubled by the acrid smoke behind his goggles and mask. Copious apologies are offered along with a promise to do better...
There's no telling what wonders may come if the Khazadi artificerr can find a way to properly power the ship again.
Or, the gobber can climb that way. The bluejay egalrin watches the slow progress, then rapidly comes up after. He nods to the Khazadi, then dashes out into the open air. "Open Skies! Fresh Air! Progress!"
He stands, straddled in a dashing heroic pose. "Success!"
OOC
map
https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=mkmdcl70s3j
Can't Use Own PCs
<OOC> Jinks says, "So, players aren't supposed to involve their PCs in PRPs. That's a bit too adjacent for my comfort zone, honestly."
<OOC> Jinks says, "Which is why I pulled in Aehrick for Jay."
<OOC> Slixvah sage nod. "was mostly thinking IC for making bad artifice good since Robby was doing that"
The Gems
<OOC> Jinks says, "So I wrote six crystals. Then I rolled my own d6 to shuffle them. And then was gonna let you guys to roll a d6 to further shuffle. It's pretty funny that Slix got the one she did."
<OOC> Jinks says, "Also worth noting (I think I failed to earlier) that all of the gems are chipped and imperfect and missing portions of minor length."
gem 1: "To shy away from such a discovery because of the morality of it. Morality. We choose to shackle ourselves to filth-- in the cold and dark-- because we fear the myriad possibilties presented us! A fear based on lies fed us by the so-called gods' messengers...
... this mortal realm knew its highest peak in the age of Kulthus only to be struck back down into the starving shadows by the forces of "divine" orthodoxy. To be afforded this chance by Saluven... become Khroel and wear such a mantle... see Merkabah fly and join along to elevate us to our rightful place..."
gem 2: "A child. The answer was so obvious and I feel such a fool. Creativity, plasticity, and moldability; not a blank slate to be commanded through tedious and at-length proclamation. Not rote automa...
The soul... harvested, captured, and planted... To be father and master-absolute...
... seek to capture or replicate the 'Forges? Why waste the genius of artifice to enhance animate corpses? The orchard is vast and the fruit ripe on the vine... it needs only be harvested.
This will be my mark!"
gem 3: "... recreating the Torment Engine was an unmitigated success. The ancient tomes provided by our secret patron were worn, faded and incomplete but our own studies meshed perfectly with the principles presented by the High Artificers. 'Black Artifice' indeed. They would have us beg and scrape, mewl and prostrate for their scraps... to deny us the product of our brilliance.
... only regret is that it was not an agent of the Open-Eye. To shackle an angel in service to Animus so, as we seek out this knowledge he would deny us...
It wept and lamented in its every-tongue as we secured it, butchered and docile, into place. I would tell it that we do not do these things to be monsters-- to make it suffer-- but my breath would be wasted. It is a slave to the thing it serves and thus our enemy. Given the chance it would make all efforts to thwart out plans...
...and as we quieted it with our harvesting and control mechanisms I allowed myself a moment of weakness and promised that it would one day live to see the toppling of misplaced divinity...
Our ship will fly."
gem 4: "... nephew: a clever boy but twisted by the disease of his childhood. I see the way he envies his peers. That resentment and rage should be an easy harvest. His mother will miss him, no doubt, but would offer endless, tearful thanks were she to know this second chance I afford him.
To be the first of many; my first son."
gem 5: "It was an affectation, surely. An indulgence. To remove the carving from the pratart and place it in the ship was entirely unnecessary; my access to the demi-plane is unlimited. The Last High Artificer gifted it to me when I swore my oath and it will be mine until my death-- an event perhaps centuries away. (Though I sometimes wonder-- hope, even-- if we will see that human weakness vanquished in my lifetime.)
But the pratart is through the gate and the High Artificer's works keep me on the ship more often than not. I enjoy the sight of it. The Justness of it.
I work tirelessly in the service of our cause.
Do I not deserve this simple reward?"
gem 6: "Success. Again. My star is in ascent and my favor grows. Surely, there will be even greater rewards for this accomplishment. The perfect marriage of man and artifice. The perfect soldier and...
... a minor hiccough. A brief acclimation period should not be outside the realm of reason.
He cries? All children cry. Given time the crying will stop and he will see this gift for what it was.
Failing that, there are other, less pathetic children to take his place."